LINCOLN- Gov. Jim Pillen enacted an emergency declaration and statewide burn ban Wednesday amid serious drought conditions and a raging wildfire in north-central Nebraska. By Thursday morning, the fire was 40% contained. That compares to Wednesday afternoon when the “Plum Creek Fire” was 0% contained and had burned 6,631 acres and one cabin (a secondary residence), killed 45 cattle, and destroyed at least eight utility poles, according to state officials.

Pillen addressed the fire from the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Lincoln and signed the burn ban and other proclamations related to the fire. What began Monday afternoon as a controlled burn performed by a private landowner in coordination with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, local fire departments, and other partners. However, the fire got out of control, which the Ainsworth fire chief said happened after a sudden shift in wind direction, according to local reporting.

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